Memorial City Mall (History)

[Radionagy 0]

Needing information about the mall from the late 60's/early 70's.

Anyone here remember the "Mini-Mall" located on the east side by the old movie theater?

I remember it had a record store and a store that sold blacklight posters.

I was young at the time but no one I talk to remembers the Mini-Mall.

Anybody with more information on the Mini-Mall??

THANKS!

[Alpha 5]

Needing information about the mall from the late 60's/early 70's.

Anyone here remember the "Mini-Mall" located on the east side by the old movie theater?

I remember it had a record store and a store that sold blacklight posters.

I was young at the time but no one I talk to remembers the Mini-Mall.

Anybody with more information on the Mini-Mall??

THANKS!

The Mini Mall that I remember was at Town & Country - right outside of Joske's (later it was Dillard's.) It had a few stores - one was The Berry Tree.

[Pumapayam 135]

I remember it had a record store and a store that sold blacklight posters.

Sam Goody and Spencers, and I think both are still there, just not in the original locations.

I remember the mall was decorated with huge simplistic flowers hung on the walls.

[Radionagy 0]

Sam Goody and Spencers, and I think both are still there, just not in the original locations.

I remember the mall was decorated with huge simplistic flowers hung on the walls.

It wasn't a Spencer's (yet). They sold alot of blacklight posters distributed from Houston Blacklight Wholesale Dist.

The record store wasn't a Sam Goody's, long before they came to Houston.

Thanks for all replys!!

[Radionagy 0]

It wasn't a Spencer's (yet). They sold alot of blacklight posters distributed from Houston Blacklight Wholesale Dist.

The record store wasn't a Sam Goody's, long before they came to Houston.

Thanks for all replys!!

Does anyone else have memories of the Mini-Mall at Memorial City Mall?

Thanks again!

[Vertigo58 33]

The Mini Mall that I remember was at Town & Country - right outside of Joske's (later it was Dillard's.) It had a few stores - one was The Berry Tree.

and I just recall a small theater at Town & Country where we saw Disney's "Tron"

very strange film. Courtesy of 101 KLOL circa 1982.

[TheBez 0]

Do you mean the stand alone theathre at T&C that was facing 8 ? If that is the one... I remember is being really stinky inside

Does anyone remember at Memorial City way way way back in the day the Monkey wards and the jewlery store that was close by ? That was a really good jewlery store, the were selling old stock really cheap at one point ( I got alot of late 60's charms in the mid 80's for next to nothing) Oh and the weird fabric store they had... I think the name of it was the Golden neede ? My mom used to drag me in there...

Edited May 25, 2007 by TheBez

[Pumapayam 135]

Don't forget about the failed stores Media Play and later Mars Music.

[Vertigo58 33]

Do you mean the stand alone theathre at T&C that was facing 8 ? If that is the one... I remember is being really stinky inside

That's probably why we won FREE tickets to the movie!

The owners must have known the end was near.

[Karistx 0]

You really have to put your thinking caps on for this one. It was next door to the hot dog on a stick place which is still in existance today http://www.hotdogonastick.com/frames.html

You could get ice cream next door on a stick...you could get nuts on the suare ice cream if you wanted. I always had mine dipped in chocolate. It was in the old area before the mall was remolded where millers outpost was and the olf visiable changes location...

anyone remember this place?

sorry I did not mean to post this in the wrong location...I will post in the correct forum...sorry!

[crunchtastic 345]

I know exactly the place you're talking about--I thought it was the same store as the corn dog place?

Located conveniently across from the Chess King and another cheesy disco-y clothes place.

Seriously, I used to get the chocolate dipped with nuts. Are you sure it was separate from the corn dogs? I seem to remember the striped hats and outfits were the same at both. On the other hand, eating corn dogs at the mall in high school was only on account of a certain special kind of munchies.

Edited January 23, 2008 by crunchtastic

[texas911 111]

They had one at Sharpstown too. If you're jonesing for one, go to Costco, they have vanilla bar on a stick, hand dipped and rolled in nuts. Just like the old days. Its $1.50. I get it every time I go to Costco.

[Willsatx 0]

We have one here in San Antonio called- Anne's Old Fashioned Ice Cream. Same concept by dipping the cone. Hope that helps.

[Karistx 0]

oh my gosh...chess king...wow! forgot about that place.

it was by Carosel also...that bad new wave type clothing store...z-cavericies and zodiak shoes.

I really think it was a separate store...but it was right next door. I see the hot dog place still exists (not in Hosuton) but does the ice cream store still somewhere????????

[TJones 51]

Do NOT dis' on the Zodiac shoes. I bought 3 pairs of the same kind of Zodiacs back in the 80's because I would keep wearing their cheaply built arses out! I am trying to locate a picture that unfortunately IS in existance, of ME wearing them.

[crunchtastic 345]

Do NOT dis' on the Zodiac shoes. I bought 3 pairs of the same kind of Zodiacs back in the 80's because I would keep wearing their cheaply built arses out! I am trying to locate a picture that unfortunately IS in existance, of ME wearing them.

OMG! Please, please tell me that you have a picture with Zodiacs AND you're wearing a Members Only jacket in the popular plum color!!

(my Zodiacs were the ladies tan suede knee boots with fringe and high heels. Bought at the Carousel in Memorial City. See kids: just say no to drugs.)

[Vertigo58 33]

You really have to put your thinking caps on for this one. It was next door to the hot dog on a stick place which is still in existance today http://www.hotdogonastick.com/frames.html

You could get ice cream next door on a stick...you could get nuts on the suare ice cream if you wanted. I always had mine dipped in chocolate. It was in the old area before the mall was remolded where millers outpost was and the olf visiable changes location...

anyone remember this place?

sorry I did not mean to post this in the wrong location...I will post in the correct forum...sorry!

It has to be this place. The girls wore these cool striped puffy hats? The lemonade was soooo delicious and the cheese-on-a stick was killer. Seemed like they were in every mall in Houston too.

Why in the heck did they leave?

[crunchtastic 345]

That's the place, alright.

The cheese was nasty but I loved the corn dogs.

[TJones 51]

OMG! Please, please tell me that you have a picture with Zodiacs AND you're wearing a Members Only jacket in the popular plum color!!

(my Zodiacs were the ladies tan suede knee boots with fringe and high heels. Bought at the Carousel in Memorial City. See kids: just say no to drugs.)

I am trying VERY hard to locate that pic. I just saw it like 3 weeks ago. No member's only jacket, but I may be wearing either a Coca-Cola shirt, or a Generra brand.

[Vertigo58 33]

That's the place, alright.

The cheese was nasty but I loved the corn dogs.

I couldnt help but notice that the girls that worked at those places always seemed to be in a daze or something? They were like in a trance like the orginal Stepford Wives film. Maybe that comes from punching a register all day and after a while everyone looks the same.

I really do miss these kinds of campy establishments remind me of the classic film - Fast Times At Ridgement High's mall scene's. Spicollie would have pigged out here.

[crunchtastic 345]

I really do miss these kinds of campy establishments remind me of the classic film - Fast Times At Ridgement High's mall scene's. Spicollie would have pigged out here.

Speaking of Fast Times, my circa 1981 Long John Silvers uniform was almost as bad as the spoof version Judge Reinhold wore in the film. And while I'm not saying I personally was involved, ahem, there was often a simple (and sort of illegal) explanation for the dazed and vacant looks on the teenagers that worked in those kinds of places. Just sayin'

[Vertigo58 33]

No wonder the bridge at Gulfgate's theater always had other part time working teen's hanging out there or under there rather. Had to cope some how.

[Karistx 0]

The hot dog place is still around...but o ice-cream.

I looked on the companies website to see if they ever sold ice creams and I could not find anything. I am 100% they had a wall between the two...I really think it was different ten the place next door withthe puffy hats!

[TJones 51]

I had an idea. Try calling the management office at memorial City, they may have an old list of businesses that were EVER in that mall. It is worth a shot. I would explain to them where the space was and they can look up the booth number and look to see who has ever done business there.

Edited January 24, 2008 by TJones

[west20th 119]

AND you're wearing a Members Only jacket in the popular plum color!!

(

Good Lord! Did everyone have one of those? I thought I was a trendsetter.

[Willsatx 0]

The hot dog place is still around...but o ice-cream.

I looked on the companies website to see if they ever sold ice creams and I could not find anything. I am 100% they had a wall between the two...I really think it was different ten the place next door withthe puffy hats!

It has to be Anne's Old Fashioned Ice Cream, one is open here in San Antonio.

[Karistx 0]

Why is there NO WEB SITE for this Ann's Old Fashion Ice Creams place??????????????????????????

I need pics/ info!

[Karistx 0]

bump!

[IronTiger 921]

Several weeks ago I went to the Memorial City Mall and wow, it's awesome. However, I heard that it wasn't always as vibrant, busy, unique, and upscale as it used to be.

Any anecdotes/photos?

[GrandLakes 3]

I can tell you one thing - that mall has been around for a long time. My mom is 56 years old and she went there when she was growing up. During the most recent re-model (a few years ago now) you could see where they were cutting into the walls...it looked like each re-model over the years they had just added a new facad (sp?) on top of the old one. So, during this remodel, they went in and ripped out three or four layers of old store fronts, walls, etc. and really opened the place up. It was amazing. There were even old windows in some of the hallways that had been covered in the past and they uncovered. They have done a great job with this mall. The only part they did not remodel was Sears. Supposedly Sears owns their building and land so the mall could not force them to renovate.

[tomv 36]

I can tell you it wasn't much when it first opened. Sharpstown Mall was still the place to go for people on that side of town.

My family lived just a few blocks away and we still drove to Sharpstown because they had so much more to offer.

Initially, Memorial City only had one anchor store, Sears, and not that many other stores. It was kind of strange when you walked down to the north end of the mall and it just dead ended into the parking lot. I remember my Dad's underwhelming reaction when we first toured the mall. "Nothing but a bunch of shoe stores".

Later, they built a Wards to anchor the north end. Of course, it's long gone. But what really put the mall on the map was when Foley's came in later.

Anyway that's my early memories. That was a long time ago.

[Pumapayam 135]

No Photos, but we do have a thread about the history of the mall.

[TexasVines 1]

No Photos, but we do have a thread about the history of the mall.

it was great.....then it sucked.....then it was ok with Pipe Organ Pizza........then when Town and Country was hot it was ok......then it really sucked......then it and Town and Country both sucked.....then Town and Country closed and MC still sucked......then T&C was knocked down and MC still sucked.......then MC started to improve slowly over time to where it is today while T&C land sits vacant and in line for its 20th redevelopment idea

T&C might take longer to redevelop than the old chain store building that was at the south west of Beltway 8 and I-10 (now freeway drainage I think) or the chain store building that was at the south west corner of Gessner and I-10.....same location to MC as the other empty building was in location to T&C

one used to be a Globe I can't remember what the other was.......both were vacant 20+ years

[stan the man 1]

T&C might take longer to redevelop than the old chain store building that was at the south west of Beltway 8 and I-10 (now freeway drainage I think) or the chain store building that was at the south west corner of Gessner and I-10.....same location to MC as the other empty building was in location to T&C

one used to be a Globe I can't remember what the other was.......both were vacant 20+ years

The decrepit "Bazaar" across from T&C?

[N Judah 29]

Prior to the most recent renovation, it had a completely different demographic. It was where a lot of legitimate gangbangers used to shop, too.

[TexasVines 1]

The decrepit "Bazaar" across from T&C?

yes, but it was some store in the way way back and was vacant for about 10+ years before the bazaar crept in

it was to T&C what the globe was to MC

[IronTiger 921]

Hmm...interesting. What I was really hoping for is perhaps photos or old mall directory or accurate descriptions of the old decor.

Thanks, though!

[TJones 51]

Good and Bad about Memorial City. My wife had a VERY rotten experience this weekend over there. Saturday, my 6 yr. old daughter begged to go to the Castle playground there. My wife and my mother took her over there with the 2 yr. old in tow. They get there and some stupid tells my wife that my 6 yr. old can't come in because she was "too tall" ? They broke out the measuring stick apparently, and she was 1/8 of an inch "too tall". SHE IS 6, for cryin out loud ! My daughter, of course, didn't understand at first and was completely CRUSHED ! She sees all these other kids going in, REALLY close to her size, and she just keeps asking, "WHY ?" My wife and mother then take her over to some other part of the mall that is some kind of play area also, and she had a good time none the less. They are then set to leave, and have to walk by the Castle again, and lo and behold there are kids, WAY bigger than my daughter, in there playing in there and that same OLD FART holding the fort. My wife asks him about the kids and he proceeds to tell her to "go complain to information?" My wife then called him a oldman, and he just shrugged. I am very glad I wasn't there to witness ANY of this as I probably would have been hauled off to jail in front of my family, which would have been the cherry on top.

The best part is when I got home, I asked my daughter about it and if she was feeling better now. I asked her if the oldman was mean to her ? She said, "No, the oldman liked me, he was nice to me." I said but he wouldn't let you in the Castle ? She said ,"No, I was too tall to get in because I am a big girl now, and the Castle is for babies." All I could do is agree and give her one of the BIGGEST hugs ever, because she had figured it out, where as I would have been the typical BRUTE about the whole situation and got myself in a tizzy for no reason at all. My wife felt bad about what she had done, but I know I would ahve been 10 times worse in that situation.

But I digress, MCM was a great mall when it first opened,The mall was built so the rich kids would have a place to hang out but they eventually migrated back to the Galleria, then went into a steady decline until the late 90's when they got an infuse of money from somewhere ? They have been steadly building, but I don't think that Roger Clemens restaurant is gonna make it in there.

[N Judah 29]

I think it's an understatement to say that it went into decline until the late 90's. I went in there in the late '90s and was consistently startled by the swarthiness of the clientele. It is so much nicer now. I think the hoodlums migrated to the Edwards Cinema plex at Silber and I 10.

Edited May 28, 2008 by N Judah

[memebag 22]

I think it's an understatement to say that it went into decline until the late 90's. I went in there in the late '90s and was consistently startled by the swarthiness of the clientele. It is so much nicer now. I think the hoodlums migrated to the Edwards Cinema plex at Silber and I 10.

swarthy:

1. tawny, dusky, dark

2. dark-skinned

3. evil, malicious

4. weathered, rough

[N Judah 29]

The last definition.

Edited May 30, 2008 by N Judah

[IronTiger 921]

OK. Thanks. What I've got so far is Sears opened in 1962, Montgomery Ward opened later (196?), Foley's opened later (196? or 197?), and Lord & Taylor opened in 1977, Frost Brothers opened somewhere (I have never figured out where, but apparently they closed in the late '80s), then Mervyn's came into the former Lord & Taylor after they bolted, Wards closed, then in the remodel, Foley's was torn down, and a new Foley's, Dillard's, Lord & Taylor opened, and Target opened (former Wards). Then Lord & Taylor left (again) and became JCPenney. Then Mervyn's closed and was razed for...a Cold Stone? Still, I haven't figured out what the ice rink used to be, or the food court, or the former remodels...

[Blender 0]

OK. Thanks. What I've got so far is Sears opened in 1962, Montgomery Ward opened later (196?), Foley's opened later (196? or 197?), and Lord & Taylor opened in 1977, Frost Brothers opened somewhere (I have never figured out where, but apparently they closed in the late '80s), then Mervyn's came into the former Lord & Taylor after they bolted, Wards closed, then in the remodel, Foley's was torn down, and a new Foley's, Dillard's, Lord & Taylor opened, and Target opened (former Wards). Then Lord & Taylor left (again) and became JCPenney. Then Mervyn's closed and was razed for...a Cold Stone? Still, I haven't figured out what the ice rink used to be, or the food court, or the former remodels...

The Frost Brothers store was inside the mall, next door (or very close) to Foley's. I was only 8 or so when the store was open, but my great aunt loved to go there when she visited us from CA.

[moni 3]

http://www.memorialcitymall.com/storedirect.htm - looks pretty good to me!

[IronTiger 921]

Well, yeah, today.

Back 10-15 years ago, well...not so much.

[NenaE 141]

The mall theater that was by the Sears lasted longer than most in this city. It had the old design where you "walked-down the sloped ramps to your seats". I like that type of design much better than the new stadium seats with the stair steps.

[RhinoVP 3]

I believe that where the ice rink is, was part of the most recent expansion project, so it would have been parking lot. Now, where the food court is, is what used to be York's steak house years ago, and was then vacant for several years. The wall's were knocked out to make this an open area.

Back in the 70's this was a nice mall. It had nice fountain areas at each intersection in the mall with seating areas. It was also very clean, somewhat sterile even. The stores I remember were a hobby place called "LeeWard's??" not sure if thats the right name or not, a pet store, and an arcade located on the back side of the mall by where the Army recruiting office was.

This wasn't a mall with alot of flash to it, aside from the fountains. The decor was mostly white with red carpeting in these rather odd sunken floor sections that now would certainly be a lawsuit waiting to happen. Thats probbably why they're gone now!

[Alpha 5]

Foley's opened in 1973. I remember when Ward's opened up, probably in the late 60s. I got my first credit card from there in 1972 when I bought my first color TV.

We moved out to that area in 1966 and I believe the mall was new then. I didn't know that Sears had opened in 1962.

The store across the street from Town & Country was Sage. It was similar to Globe.

[Disastro 0]

My favorite places in the old Memorial City Mall were EJ's Model Shop and the theater...this would've been '74-76...

However, I remember the place as far back as 66-67 or so...

Edited May 31, 2008 by Disastro

[memebag 22]

My favorite places in the old Memorial City Mall were EJ's Model Shop and the theater...this would've been '74-76...

However, I remember the place as far back as 66-67 or so...

Whoa, I forgot about EJ's! My dad bought me an AMT Klingon D-7 Battle Cruiser kit there when I was young. That was a great store.